Tales from the FAR Side

Dr. Marcy H. Towns Professor, Department of Chemistry   Dr. Phillip J. VanFossen James F. Ackerman Distinguished Professor of Social Studies Education, Department of Curriculum and Instruction

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - In 1895, at the Palmer House in Chicago, seven presidents of Midwestern universities met to discuss intercollegiate athletics. They established the principles upon which the Big Ten Conference would be founded. Faculty engagement and oversight of intercollegiate athletics played a key role setting standards that restricted eligibility to only "bona fide" students who had maintained academic success. They also addressed issues central to institutional control such as the use of professional athletes, betting by athletes on their own games, contest schedules and missed class time.
 
The kind of faculty oversight and engagement of the intercollegiate athletics program envisioned by the Big Ten founders is manifest at Purdue in the role of faculty athletic representatives (or FARs), the authors of this article. The NCAA requires that these representatives be independent faculty and may not hold a position in intercollegiate athletics. FARs are charged with ensuring institutional control of the athletics program, maintaining academic integrity and supporting the welfare of student-athletes. We ensure that the athletics department remains a key component of higher education and that it operates within the overall mission of Purdue University. Additionally, the FARs are empowered to represent the university in dealings with the NCAA and the Big Ten on compliance issues. As FARs, we are independent observers of Purdue intercollegiate athletics and of the student-athlete experience. We were appointed by, and report directly to, president Mitch Daniels.
 
Both of us are tenured professors in our respective departments with full-time teaching and research agendas. Our appointments as FARs are in addition to these responsibilities, but is a vital role we both value and are proud to fill.  
 
A brief list of the specific duties we perform as FARs might help create a better picture of what we do in the role. Typical activities include:

• Monitoring student-athlete academic performance by:
  • reviewing the academic performance of each student-athlete each semester
  • discussing student-athlete performance with academic advisors
  • reaching out to student-athletes to cheer on great academic performance and to encourage persistence when course work is challenging.
  • meeting with academic staff regularly to discuss academic performance
  • certifying eligibility of all teams and individuals
• Regularly meeting with compliance staff and engaging in compliance-related issues:
  • review and attest to Purdue's "Institutional Standards for Safeguarding Governance of Intercollegiate Athletics" report to the Big Ten
  • discuss requests for waivers or appeals from NCAA and Big Ten legislation or processes
  • monitor athletics program to assure compliance and be aware of instances in which compliance was not achieved
  • review proposed NCAA and Big Ten legislation to promote an understanding of each proposal and how it potentially impacts Purdue and other members of the conference
  • administer, proctor and certify all coaches and staff successfully complete the Division I Coaches' Certifying (Recruiting) Test.
• Meeting with administrators, coaches and staff to carry out NCAA mandated activities such as:
  • implementation of the time-management plan for each sport and review of that plan annually with administrators, coaches and student-athletes
  • development and implementation of a sexual violence prevention program
  • play a role in the shaping of institutional voting decisions on Big Ten and NCAA legislation
• Serving on university's Athletic Affairs Committee
• Attending Big Ten and NCAA meetings pertaining to conference activities, rules and compliance
• Meeting monthly with the Boilermaker Student-Athlete Advisory Committee
• Meeting with each team and coaches during the annual fall compliance meeting
• Attending department-wide informational meetings
• Periodically attending athletics department award ceremonies, team banquets, competitions and other athletically related events
• Other duties as assigned by the university president

Purdue's FARs are critical observers of the student-athlete experience and are committed to ensuring that these students have top-notch academic and athletic experiences. Purdue has a long history of outstanding engagement by FARs, and we intend to continue that tradition.